Col. Albert H. Pfeiffer

[Shotgun Steve]

"A [Pic]turesque pioneer.

[C]ol. Alb[ert] H. Pfelffer's [sic, should read, "Pfeiffer's"] Revenge for t[he] ... Murder of His Wife.

From the Del Norte Prospector.
For the past six months Col. Pfeiffer has been bedfast, and at no time have hopes been entertained of his recovery. On Wednesday, April 6, 1881, at about 11 o'clock, he died. His last request was that he be buried quietly and unostentatiously. He was interred among the foothills overlooking his beautiful ranch, with no crowd or ceremony, only five being present.

Col. Albert H. Pfeiffer was born in Friesland, on the coast of Holland, in October, 1822 His father is, or was, a Lutheran minister and his mother was of Scotch descent, from a Scotch noble family. He left his native country when 22 years of age and came directly to the West as a soldier in the ranks. He married a Spanish girl of Aboquin, New Mexico, when about 34 years old, by whom he had two or three children, only one of whom is alive.

It was at this point in his life when he gained national celebrity. He was in command of Fort [McC]rae and was taken ill. There are some ... rings located about six miles from the ...nd near the Rio Grande River. Himself. [sic] w... and [a]nother lady, with an escort of ... [sol?]diers, went there to bathe, and ...e was still in the bath the Apache Ind[ians] rushed down on them, whopping and yelling like the demons that they were, and frightened the soldiers so that they took to their heels and escaped; but not so with the ladies--both were shot dead. Col. Pfeiffer leaped to the bank, grasped his rfle [sic] and fired, killing one of the fiends; but the odds was too great, and his onl[y] escape was in running and plunging in[to the] river, which he did, but not before two a[rrows] one of which was poisoned, had been l... his left side and leg. He managaed to .... river, found medical aid, and seemed .... from the wounds. Then it was that the Ind[ian] found a terror in our hero. Many were the red fiends that fell victims to his unerring rifle. He fought in any capacity offered. He would at ... time be at the head of a band of In[dia]ns who were at war with the Apaches, ... again he would muster up a body of Mexicans or whites and go on the warpath, thirsting for vengeance. The principal part of his fighting was done under Kit Carson, and he was an associate of Bill Bent, St. Vrain, Maxwell, and others of a like stamp. From the time [of] the death of his wife he led a roving life. ... off to every new discovery, and wherever ... could be of use to white men.

[He] came to this valley about thirty years ago, ... [d]escribed it as being the finest country he ... aw. All along the Rio Grande and on the .... aller streams game of all kinds abound[ed] ... the Indian roamed at will, and was .... he surveyed."



Letter from Albert H. Pfeiffer

"What shall I write you? Since I last saw you I was most in the mountains, came sometimes with my old ennemies [sic] as the Navajoes & Apaches in [Callusion??], you know, not much politeness exist between them & myself. I wish the devil would fly away with them. I had build a [Block?]house on the Nacimienta and them Rascals burnt the house as I was absent, Sobita the Ute Chief & myself, followed on the trail and then they were remarkable quiet afterwards. ...

Your friend Alb. H. Pfeiffer [Taylor has added, "Lieut Col. 1st New Mexico vols. in Re..."]